Comedian Robert Klein opens the Centenary Stage Company's 2012-13 season

Comedian Robert Klein will open the Centenary Stage Company season on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m. as part of the 'Curtain Up' Celebration in the David and Carol Lackland Center in Hackettstown.

The 2012-13 concert season at the Centenary Stage Company will kick off with a “Curtains Up - Opening of the Season Celebration” and a performance by Robert Klein, on Saturday, Sept. 22, in the David and Carol Lackland Center in Hackettstown.

For more than 40 years, Robert Klein has entertained audiences, and he continues to have an acclaimed career in comedy, on Broadway, on television and in film. Born in the Bronx, he was a member of the famed “Second City” theatrical troupe in Chicago and was nominated twice for Grammy Awards for “Best Comedy Album of the Year” for his albums “Child of the Fifties” and “Mind Over Matter.” Klein received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor, and won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his performance in the hit Neil Simon musical, “They’re Playing Our Song.” In 1993, Klein won an Obie and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in Wendy Wasserstein’s, “The Sisters Rosensweig.”

Among dozens of starring and guest-starring roles on television, Klein co-starred in the hit NBC series, “Sisters,” and recently has a recurring guest-starring role on “Law and Order.” He regularly appears on talk-shows, making more than 100 appearances on “The Tonight Show” and “Late Show with David Letterman” alone.

The “Curtains Up” celebration with Robert Klein will begin with a pre-show reception at 6:30 p.m. in the Edit Boltz Kutz Theater of the Lackland Center, featuring a wine tasting hosted by local sponsor Vintners Circle, with an array of “New York style” hors d’oeuvres and beverages. A silent auction will take place throughout the evening to benefit the performing arts series.

The performance by Robert Klein will begin at 8 p.m. in the Sitnik Theater of the Lackland Center, and a limited VIP “Meet and Greet” post show reception with the artist will follow the performance with a party on-stage, featuring New York style desserts and champagne, and photos with the artist. Tickets are $40 in the orchestra and $35 in the balcony. Tickets for the pre-show reception with orchestra seating are $55. Special VIP tickets, which include the pre-show reception, the performance with orchestra seating, and the post-show “Meet and Greet” will be offered at $100. All proceeds from the evening will help to underwrite the artist fees for concert events through the 2012-13 season.

Tickets may be purchased online at centenarystageco.org, or at the box office, located in the David and Carol Lackland Center, 715 Grand Ave. in Hackettstown. The box office is open 1-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 2 hours prior to performance times. A convenient new “Main Street Box Office” is scheduled to open this fall, located at 217 Main St., Hackettstown.